Juan Cruz, of Syracuse, was convicted of 16 counts involving viewing improper records on eight occasions. The biggest crimes were Class E felonies, punishable by up to four years in prison.

After the verdict was read this afternoon, County Court Judge Thomas J. Miller ordered Cruz into custody. Cruz had been free as the case progressed to trial.

There was no doubt during the trial that Cruz viewed the records. And as a probation officer, he routinely viewed similar records.

But prosecutor James Daley and defense lawyer Laurin Haddad offered different versions as to why Cruz wanted these specific records.

Daley painted Cruz as launching a "personal investigation" involving people that had nothing to do with his duties as a probation officer.

Haddad argued that Cruz was simply acting on a tip regarding a person on probation and passed the information along to another probation officer. The probationer who reported Cruz's actions had a criminal history that included being branded a "compulsive liar," Haddad told the jury.

She also criticized the probation department for not defining who had access to the records. She argued that Commissioner Andrew Sicherman never made clear who had authority to see the records or what was meant by an "official function."

The records in question are part of the Central New York police database that stores information about criminal suspects. It includes addresses, phone numbers and sensitive information, like social security numbers.

After the verdict, Haddad expressed concerned that Cruz could face retaliation from inmates, considering his role in supervising criminals on probation.